XR4ED: An Extended Reality Platform for Education.

Recent developments in extended reality (XR) are already demonstrating the benefits of this technology in the educational sector. Unfortunately, educators may not be familiar with XR technology and may find it difficult to adopt this technology in their classrooms. This article presents the overall architecture and objectives of an EU-funded project dedicated to XR for education, called Extended Reality for Education (XR4ED).

Machine learning prediction of 3CL SARS-CoV-2 docking scores.

Molecular docking results of two training sets containing 866 and 8,696 compounds were used to train three different machine learning (ML) approaches. Neural network approaches according to Keras and TensorFlow libraries and the gradient boosted decision trees approach of XGBoost were used with DScribe's Smooth Overlap of Atomic Positions molecular descriptors. In addition, neural networks using the SchNetPack library and descriptors were used.

Mass spectrometrical and quantum-chemical study of pentafluorophenylhydrazones.

Twenty-one pentafluorphenylhydrazones have been analyzed by means of tandem mass spectrometry (ESI MS/MS) conditions to compare their fragmentations with those ones obtained from quantum-chemical calculations of the hydrazone moiety depending on the substitution from the aldehyde site. The hydrazone N-N bond is disrupted under such conditions, and these results are in accordance with the facts that an electron-rich particle, such as an anion and or radical in a solution, can cause this disruption and simultaneous defluorination in para-position of the hydrazone part of the molecule.

Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of Novel 9--Substituted Berberine Derivatives.

Berberine is a bioactive isoquinoline alkaloid derived from many plants. Although berberine has been shown to inhibit growth and induce apoptosis of several tumor cell lines, its poor absorption and moderate activity hamper its full therapeutic potential. Here, we describe the synthesis of a series of 9--substituted berberine derivatives with improved antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing activities.

Interaction of DNA and mononucleotides with theophylline investigated using electrochemical biosensors and biosensing.

The understanding of DNA-drug interaction mechanism is among the important aspects of biological studies for drug design, discovery and pharmaceutical development processes. Published rather detailed FTIR and UV-visible spectroscopic studies on the interactions of theophylline, theobromine and caffeine with calf thymus DNA have shown effective binding of these methylxanthine derivatives to DNA and RNA involving H-bonds. However, to our knowledge, there is no such investigation using electrochemical approach.

Immunobiological efficacy and immunotoxicity of novel synthetically prepared fluoroquinolone ethyl 6-fluoro-8-nitro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylate.

The present study examined the cytotoxicity, anti-cancer reactivity, and immunomodulatory properties of new synthetically prepared fluoroquinolone derivative 6-fluoro-8-nitro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylate (6FN) in vitro. The cytotoxicity/toxicity studies (concentrations in the range 1-100μM) are focused on the cervical cancer cells HeLa, murine melanoma cancer cells B16, non-cancer fibroblast NIH-3T3 cells and reconstructed human epidermis tissues EpiDerm™. The significant growth inhibition of cancer cells HeLa and B16 was detected.

Study of the cytotoxic/toxic potential of the novel anticancer selenodiazoloquinolone on fibroblast cells and 3D skin model.

The new synthetically prepared quinolone derivative 7-ethyl 9-ethyl-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo [3,4-]quinoline-7-carboxylate (E2) showed in our previous study cytotoxic effects towards tumor cells and immunomodulatory activities on RAW 264.7 cell line murine macrophages. E2 may have a potential use as a novel chemotherapeutic agent with immunomodulatory properties and the ability to induce apoptotic death of cancer cells.

Assessment of Immunomodulatory Activities and in vitro Toxicity of New Quinolone 7-ethyl 9-ethyl-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4-h]quinoline-7-carboxylate.

Unlabelled: Our previous studies on leukemia cells L1210 and cervical cancer HeLa cells revealed cytotoxic effects of the 7-ethyl 9-ethyl-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4-h]quinoline-7-carboxylate (E2h), a new synthetically prepared quinolone derivative, toward selected cancer cell lines. The aim of the present study was to examine the cytotoxicity of E2h toward next cell lines and tissues; that is, human cancer HL-60 and A549 cells, human non-cancer fibroblast BHNF-1 cells, and reconstructed human epidermis tissues. Further we investigated the immunomodulatory activity of E2h on murine macrophage RAW 264.

Pro-apoptotic effect of new quinolone 7- ethyl 9-ethyl-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo [3,4-h]quinoline-7-carboxylate on cervical cancer cell line HeLa alone/with UVA irradiation.

7- ethyl 9-ethyl-6-oxo-6,9-dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo [3,4-h]quinoline-7-carboxylate (E2h) is a new synthetically prepared quinolone derivative, which in our primary study showed cytotoxic effects towards tumor cells. The aim of the present study was to examine the antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing activities of E2h towards human cervical cancer cell line HeLa with/without the presence of UVA irradiation. Further, the molecular mechanism involved in E2h-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells was investigated.

Copper(II) complexes with new fluoroquinolones: Synthesis, structure, spectroscopic and theoretical study, DNA damage, cytotoxicity and antiviral activity.

Copper(II) complexes with fluoroquinolones in the presence of the nitrogen donor heterocyclic ligands 1,10-phenanthroline have been considered in detail. The phenanthroline moiety was introduced into the ligand environment with the aim to determine whether the nuclease activity is feasible. All suitable X-ray structures of the complexes under study reveal a distorted square pyramidal coordination geometry for Cu(II) atom.

Conformational, spectroscopic, and molecular dynamics DFT study of precursors for new potential antibacterial fluoroquinolone drugs.

Biological activity, functionality, and synthesis of (fluoro)quinolones is closely related to their precursors (for instance 3-fluoroanilinoethylene derivatives) (i.e., their functional groups, conformational behavior, and/or electronic structure).

Fused-ring derivatives of quinoxalines: spectroscopic characterization and photoinduced processes investigated by EPR spin trapping technique.

10-Ethyl-7-oxo-7,10-dihydropyrido[2,3-f]quinoxaline derivatives, synthesized as promising biologically/photobiologically active compounds were characterized by UV/vis, FT-IR and fluorescent spectroscopy. Photoinduced processes of these derivatives were studied by EPR spectroscopy, monitoring in situ the generation of reactive intermediates upon UVA (λmax=365 nm) irradiation. The formation of reactive oxygen species and further oxygen- and carbon-centered radical intermediates was detected and possible reaction routes were suggested.

Use of activated enol ethers in the synthesis of pyrazoles: reactions with hydrazine and a study of pyrazole tautomerism.

Activated enol ethers derived from esters or the dinitrile of malonic acid, or from pentane-2,4-dione were treated with hydrazine hydrate. The structures of the obtained products - pyrazoles 5 - were studied with a focus on tautomerism and supramolecular structure. A reverse addition of the reagents led to the isolation of two novel products, namely bis-enehydrazines 6 with an unsymmetrical arrangement of the formally equivalent subunits.

New syntheses of 5,6- and 7,8-diaminoquinolines.

The synthesis of 5,6- and 7,8-diaminoquinoline derivatives starting from angularly annelated selenadiazoloquinolones is presented. Simple chlorination of the pyridone ring followed by reductive deselenation of the 1,2,5-selenadiazole ring afforded novel 4-chloro-o-diaminoquinolines. Dechlorination of 4-chloro-7,8-diaminoquinoline gave 7,8-diaminoquinoline hydrochloride which was successfully employed as starting material in the synthesis of condensed nitrogen heterocycles.

Oxidation of quinolones with peracids (an in situ EPR study).

4-Oxoquinoline derivatives (quinolones) represent heterocyclic compounds with a variety of biological activities, along with interesting chemical reactivity. The quinolone derivatives possessing secondary amino hydrogen at the nitrogen of the enaminone system are oxidized with 3-chloroperbenzoic acid to nitroxide radicals in the primary step while maintaining their 4-pyridone ring. Otherwise, N-methyl substituted quinolones also form nitroxide radicals coupled with the opening of the 4-pyridone ring in a gradual oxidation of the methyl group via the nitrone-nitroxide spin-adduct cycle.

[Warfarin - its synthesis and properties in a twenty-year retrospective*].

The review paper deals with some aspects of warfarin history and its use, at the beginning as a rodenticide and later as an anticoagulant. It describes its principal physical-chemical properties and it analyzes schematically the possibilities of its preparation by both selective and non-selective synthesis from coumarin derivatives. A survey of syntheses and its results are tabulated, including the literary references, and the paper is concluded with an evaluation of the prospects of this agent in comparison with alternative anticoagulants and its advantages, disadvantages and prospects.

Stable radical trianions from reversibly formed sigma-dimers of selenadiazoloquinolones studied by in situ EPR/UV-vis spectroelectrochemistry and quantum chemical calculations.

The redox behavior of the series of 7-substituted 6-oxo-6,9-dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4-h]quinolines and 8-substituted 9-oxo-6,9-dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4-f]quinolines with R(7), R(8) = H, COOC(2)H(5), COOCH(3), COOH, COCH(3), and CN has been studied by in situ EPR and EPR/UV-vis spectroelectrochemistry in dimethylsulfoxide. All selenadiazoloquinolones undergo a one-electron reduction process to form the corresponding radical anions. Their stability strongly depends on substitution at the nitrogen atom of the 4-pyridone ring.

Ethyl 1-ethyl-7-fluoro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylate: X-ray and DFT studies.

The basic building unit in the structure of the title compound, C(14)H(14)FNO(3), is pairs of molecules arranged in an antiparallel fashion, enabling weak C-H···O interactions. Each molecule is additionally involved in π-π interactions with neighbouring molecules. The pairs of molecules formed by the C-H···O hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions form ribbon-like chains running along the c axis.

Anodic oxidation of selenadiazoloquinolones in alkaline media.

Newly synthesized derivatives of 6-oxo-6,9-dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4-h]quinoline variously substituted at position 7 (R = H, COOH, COCH(3), CN, COOC(2)H(5) and COOCH(3)) are established in strongly alkaline aqueous solutions (0.1 M NaOH; pH ∼ 13) as N(9)-deprotonated structures, but in less alkaline solutions (0.001 M NaOH; pH ∼ 11) the N(9)-protonated oxo tautomeric forms dominate.

Photoinduced superoxide radical anion and singlet oxygen generation in the presence of novel selenadiazoloquinolones (an EPR Study).

Novel 7-substituted 6-oxo-6,9-dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4-h]quinoline (SeQ(1-6)) and 8-substituted 9-oxo-6,9-dihydro[1,2,5]selenadiazolo[3,4-f ]quinoline derivatives (SeQN(1-5)) with R(7), R(8) =H, COOC(2) H(5), COOCH(3), COOH, COCH(3) or CN were synthesized and their spectral characteristics were obtained by UV/Vis spectroscopy. Ultraviolet A photoexcitation of the selenadiazoloquinolones in dimethylsulfoxide or acetonitrile resulted in the formation of paramagnetic species coupled with molecular oxygen activation generating the superoxide radical anion or singlet oxygen, evidenced by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The cytotoxic/photocytotoxic impact of selenadiazoloquinolones on murine and human cancer cell lines was demonstrated using the derivative SeQ5 (with R(7)=COCH(3)).

Photochemical and phototoxic properties of ethyl 1,4-dihydro-8-nitro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylate, a new quinoline derivative.

The present study demonstrates photoinduced generation of superoxide radical anion and singlet oxygen upon UVA irradiation of ethyl 1,4-dihydro-8-nitro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylate (DNQC), and its cytotoxic/phototoxic effects on murine leukemia L1210 cells. The formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was investigated by EPR spectroscopy using in situ spin trapping technique and 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-piperidine (TMP) for singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) detection. The EPR spectra monitored upon photoexcitation of aerated solutions of DNQC in dimethylsulfoxide evidenced the efficient activation of molecular oxygen via Types I and II mechanisms.

2-{[(3-Fluorophenyl)amino]methylidene}-3-oxobutanenitrile and 5-{[(3-fluorophenyl)amino]methylidene}-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione: X-ray and DFT studies.

In the crystal structures of the title compounds, C(11)H(9)FN(2)O, (I), and C(13)H(12)FNO(4), (II), the molecules are joined pairwise via different hydrogen bonds and the constituent pairs are crosslinked by weak C-H...

(E)-Methyl 2-[(2-fluorophenyl)aminomethylene]-3-oxobutanoate: X-ray and density functional theory (DFT) study.

The title compound, C(12)H(12)FNO(3), a potential precursor for fluoroquinoline synthesis, is essentially planar, with the most outlying atoms displaced from the best-plane fit through all non-H atoms by 0.163 (2) and 0.118 (2) A.

5-Amino-1-methyl-1H-benzimidazole.

The structure of the title compound, C(8)H(9)N(3), a potential anti-tumour drug, was determined in order to give more insight into its structure-function relationships. The benzimidazole core of the mol-ecule was found to be exactly planar, while the substituents are displaced slightly from the mol-ecular plane [C-C-N-C and C-C-C-N torsion angles of 0.8 (3) and 179.

1H, 13C and 15N NMR spectroscopy and tautomerism of nitrobenzotriazoles.

Benzotriazole nitro derivatives were prepared by nitration of the corresponding benzotriazoles and by methylation or cyclization of appropriate nitro-1,2-phenylenediamines. Structures and tautomerism of the nitrobenzotriazoles were studied by multinuclear (1)H, (13)C, (15)N, and 2D NMR spectroscopy and quantum chemistry.